CHLOE MAGAZINE
Norman spent his first year and a half in Manhattan in a tough
spot. Not having had any formal photography training, he was not
getting work and doubted himself constantly, especially having
given up the “important” work of a doctor. As luck would have it,
his photographs of people he met in the streets and bars, including his remarkable images of Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti
Smith, and Andy Warhol and the Factory were discovered by the
renowned graphic designer Bob Cato who gave him his first gig.
This would become the turning point in his career. It was to shoot
images for the liner notes for The Band’s Stage Fright album. As it
turned out, Robbie Robertson loved one his shots so much, Cato
had the idea to turn it into a poster inserted under the shrink wrap
of the album. Overnight, it became a must-have collector’s item.
He notes, “I go from not being able to get a meeting with art
directors to people calling me saying—are you the guy who shot
that incredible picture, would you come in and see us?”
In 1971, Norman was asked by Cato to relocate to Los Angeles to
become the Art Director for United Artists Records. He recounts
the years that followed as a shift in the way he operated and worked
as an artist, “I was building my portfolio and learning how to create
my photo sessions as an emotional experience. That was a big shift
for me. It was not about focusing on the techniques of
photography; but on creating relationships that are intimate and
emotionally intense. And then I would just document this
experience.” It was during a session with Ike and Tina Turner
in 1975 that Norman’s own creativity and understanding of the
creative process shifted. At this point, he had left United Artists
and was running his own studio in a small A-frame building a few
doors up from the famous Chateau Marmont. (Incidentally, today,
Norman’s old studio is the iconic Bar Marmont). Norman brought
a film crew into the session to capture the authenticity of creativity.